


Freedom

by ToTheStarsWriting



Series: dragon!Alec [6]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Loves Magnus Bane, Domestic Fluff, Dragons, M/M, Magnus Bane Loves Alec Lightwood, Magnus has questions, supportive Magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:55:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22288234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToTheStarsWriting/pseuds/ToTheStarsWriting
Summary: The boys have a brief domestic moment together before real life comes knocking again. Later, Magnus gets to ask some of the questions that are burning in his brain
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: dragon!Alec [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1369069
Comments: 33
Kudos: 682
Collections: Tales of Malec & Dragons





	Freedom

Falling asleep with Alexander in his arms almost immediately became one of Magnus’ favorite things, second only to the feeling of waking up to him still being there. He’d been surprised that Alec had agreed to stay over. So far, he hadn’t seemed to be comfortable with the idea. Whatever had been holding him back before seemed to be gone, though. Alec had settled easily into bed with Magnus and curled around him like the warlock was something precious in need of being protected. It was a feeling no one had ever given him before. Yet Alec had done it easily. Naturally.

Despite the mood before they’d gone to the bedroom in, sleep was all they’d done. Alec pressed up against the back of Magnus, arms holding him close, nose buried against his hair like he couldn’t quite get enough of his scent.

He’d already noticed his partner had a bit of a _thing_ for scents. Magnus enjoyed finding which ones Alec liked and which ones he didn’t. Now, he just had context for _why_.

Magnus couldn’t help but think about it when he woke up the next morning. They’d shifted around at some point, ending with Magnus on Alec’s chest. It allowed him to draw his arms up and rest his chin on his folded hands while he studied Alec’s face. Magnus took in everything about his partner, from his messy bedhead to the adorable little half-growling snores. Those were cuter than they probably should have been. But they’d felt like a nice, comforting rumble against Magnus’ back, soothing him to sleep.

Everything that Magnus had learned yesterday played through his mind as he watched Alec sleep. He’d learned so much about the younger man in just one evening. Things that had answered a lot of little questions Magnus had had. Small quirks that he’d started to label as _just Alec_ in his head that made more sense now with the proper context. The way he sniffed things, how he seemed to constantly brush up against places in the loft. The intense loyalty that was so above and beyond anything Magnus had ever seen.

What little Magnus knew of dragons said they were protective, possessive of those that were theirs, and fiercely loyal to their family. Their Clan. That definitely fit Alec.

“I’ve heard it’s creepy to watch someone sleep,” Alec murmured suddenly. He didn’t bother moving; didn’t even open his eyes. A small smile twitched on his lips though.

Magnus let his own smile grow. “Not when the one being stared at is as beautiful as you. Art is meant to be admired.”

He had to fight not to let out a delighted laugh at the faint color on Alec’s cheeks. It was such a contrast to his scowl, and the glare through barely open eyes. Though, the little glimpse of Alec’s eyes was enough to cut off Magnus’ laughter. He sucked in a sharp breath when he caught sight of what he now privately considered Alec’s _real_ eyes. There were the eyes that had looked down at him from the massive dragon he’d first seen, and that had watched him so lovingly from the tiny dragon that had curled up against him while they’d talked with Ragnor. The blue and purple swirling together was both gorgeous and fascinating. To see them now in the human face that Magnus had first fallen in love with—it was a thrill he hadn’t quite expected.

Magnus swallowed heavily. Even so, his voice was still just the slightest bit rougher than normal. “Suddenly I understand your enjoyment when I drop my glamour.”

“Magnus.”

There was a rumble to Magnus’ name that he’d never heard there before. One that he found he’d quite like to hear again, _frequently_. It matched with the low, rumbly almost-purr that seemed to be vibrating Alec’s chest at the moment. “ _You_ are going to be the death of me,” Magnus said simply. He smiled as he said it to make sure that Alec knew he didn’t mean it. Then he sighed, heavily. “But unfortunately, as much as it pains me, I’m going to have to ask you to behave. While I’m not adverse to an audience in the right circumstances, our first time shouldn’t be when we have a wolf with amazing senses staying in the loft with us. And if you don’t start controlling yourself, I’m going to be forced to portal us out of here to somewhere I can ravish you _properly_.”

As he said the words, Magnus pushed against Alec’s chest and forced himself to get up. He knew well enough that if he stayed there he wasn’t going to be able to resist the delectable image laid out in front of him. Though it didn’t really get any easier once Magnus was on his feet. Watching the way that his boyfriend smiled smugly, and yet still blushed, only made Magnus want to kiss him all the more. He was constantly falling deeper and deeper for this amazing man—amazing _dragon_.

There was a crooked little half-smile starting on Alec’s lips that only made him look all the more appealing. He pushed himself up on one elbow, watching Magnus grab a robe. “You act like I didn’t ward your bedroom against things like that.”

That had Magnus pausing. He turned himself to better look at Alec, raising his eyebrows up in surprise. Then Magnus narrowed his gaze while reaching out to the wards around the room. It took him a minute to find what he was looking for. Even then, he might not have if he wasn’t actively seeking it out. Alec’s magic was subtly hooked into Magnus’. It was also a faint little twist of something that Magnus didn’t quite recognize.

When he blinked his eyes open—not having even realized that he’d closed them as he’d studied it—he found Alec watching him almost nervously. Like he wasn’t quite sure how Magnus was going to react.

That was easy enough to solve. Magnus lifted one hand from where he’d been tying the belt of his robe and he pointed a finger at Alec. “ _You_ are going to explain later how you managed to hide a warding from me _inside_ my own wards without my ever noticing. You’re also going to explain what exactly they do, and how they do it. I’ve warded against sight and sound before, but never _smell_.”

The worry had vanished off of Alec’s face, thankfully. Magnus didn’t like seeing him worried like that in the privacy of what he was coming to think of as _their_ room.

Alec shrugged one shoulder, rubbing at his face with his other hand while he sat up. “I just put a barrier between the air out there and the air in here.”

“How do you keep from losing the air in the warded area and suffocating those inside?” Magnus asked curiously. He leaned against the wall, smiling a little while he watched Alec rise up. It did something to him, warmed his heart, to see Alec hesitate only a second and then use his magic to conjure up a toothbrush for himself. Magnus had no shame in following after him to brush his own teeth at the same time.

As Alec put some toothpaste on his toothbrush, he cast a look over at Magnus at the sink next to him, his lips twitching faintly into a smile. He didn’t comment on it, though, opting instead to answer Magnus’ question. “I guess it’s less a barrier, and more like…a filter. It cleans the air as it runs through it so that our scents aren’t tied to it. I don’t like doing it where other people can go in because it risks hiding someone from me, too, if I’m on the wrong side of the ward. But for bedrooms it works pretty well.” Alec stopped abruptly with the toothbrush right at his mouth. He turned to look at Magnus, worry making small lines between his brows. “Is that… not okay?”

Magnus smiled and leaned in to give Alec a quick kiss on the cheek. “More than fine, my dear.”

The two of them settled in to brush their teeth together. It was so very domestic, which probably shouldn’t have felt as good as it did to Magnus. Yet he couldn’t deny that he felt sort of like he was floating when he left the bathroom. Alec had stepped out at the end so Magnus could make quick use of the facilities, and now it was his turn. Before he went in, Magnus stole another kiss.

Their kiss was interrupted when Magnus felt the alert on his wards that told him someone was coming up to the door. He’d had the building wards down, but tight wards around the loft itself. Between him and Alexander he’d trusted to their safety.

It looked like their morning of peace was over. Drawing back, he stroked his thumb over Alec’s cheek, sad to see the glamour come down over Alec’s eyes. “I’ll take care of our guest while you finish getting ready. Then we’ll see about getting some coffee, hm?” Considering Magnus knew who was on the other side of the door, he figured it best to let Alec go get some coffee in before he had to deal with them.

Magnus paused only long enough to trade out his comfortable clothes for a pair of tight pants and a loose, breezy blue and purple tunic that made him think of Alec’s eyes. A wave of his hand added some rings and necklaces, as well as his makeup, and one hand through his hair added some streaks to match his shirt. There was no way he was going out in front of this audience without looking the part. Once ready, he made his way out toward the front door.

It wasn’t surprising to find that the nephilim didn’t bother with knocking at first. Magnus probably shouldn’t have gotten the satisfaction he did out of the way they were stopped when they tried to let themselves in. He took a second, summoning up a coffee in his _Better Than Gandalf_ mug, and then he made his way to the door just as someone pounded on it.

Magnus schooled his expression into one of bored amusement when he opened the door. Deliberately, he leaned against the other door as he did, blocking the two there from just pushing their way in. “Clarissa. Trace. To what do I owe the pleasure of two nephilim at my door so early in the day?”

For the most part Magnus didn’t really have any problem with either Clary or Jace. Or he hadn’t, not really. Sure, there were things they did to get on his nerves, but they were young, the both of them. So very young. However, the stress they’d been causing Alec wasn’t something he was going to just ignore. Nor was he going to ignore the disrespect he’d seen thrown Alec’s way last night. Even if it was subtle, it was there, and while Alec might more openly display his protective tendencies that didn’t mean he was the only one in the relationship to have them.

Not to mention, there was something to be said for setting boundaries. If he kept letting these nephilim wander in and out of his apartment like this, demanding things and acting like it was their right to get them, it was going to set a precedent that would be hard to stop in the future.

“We’re here to see Luke,” Clary said, leaning in like he was going to just move out of her way and let her through.

Magnus didn’t move. He used magic to hold the door in place so that they wouldn’t get any ideas about pushing it open. Then he drew his mug up and took a sip of the warm brew inside while he slouched even more against the other door. “You know, it’s considered polite to call ahead before you just show up at someone’s home.”

“My dad is in there,” Clary protested almost immediately.

Arching one brow, Magnus took another slow, deliberate drink, taking his time before he answered her. “And you didn’t think to call first to make sure he’s up for visitors? I’m sure I remember Alexander telling you that something would be worked out for you to come visit once Lucian was awake.”

“She just wants to see her dad,” Jace said, only to get cut off by, surprisingly, Clary.

The young girl put her hand on Jace’s arm to stop him. “No, he’s right.” There was a hint of the kind girl that Magnus knew she could be in her eyes when she looked back at him. “I’m sorry for just intruding like this. Please, can we come in and check on Luke?”

Now how was he supposed to resist manners like that? Magnus rolled his eyes, yet there was a fond tilt to his lips when he leaned back and used his magic to open the door wider. “Come in. I haven’t had a chance to go check on him yet this morning, but I’m sure he won’t mind if you peek in on him. He’s down that way, last door to your right.”

The three of them made their way through the entryway and toward the living room. Alec was there, and the sight of him had Magnus making a low, happy noise in the back of his throat. His boyfriend was putting on a blatant territoriality display that probably shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was. He must have magicked himself up some different clothes while in the bathroom; the black jeans he wore weren’t what he’d had on yesterday. Nor did Magnus recognize the shirt that Alec carried in his hand—one he hadn’t bothered putting on yet.

There was so much glorious skin on display, which Magnus happily and shamelessly ogled. If Alec didn’t want them looking he wouldn’t have come out like this! Alec also had a gorgeous case of bedhead, and there was still a hint of sleepiness around his eyes, two things that made Magnus want to kick all his guests out and drag Alec back down to the bedroom.

Magnus ran his gaze over every inch of Alec. When he saw that his boyfriend was barefoot, the noise Magnus made wasn’t as quiet as the last one, and he heard Jace give a low groan behind him. Not that Magnus _cared_. Blondie could leave if he didn’t like seeing Magnus appreciate his boyfriend inside of his own home. Alec was _shirtless_ and _barefoot_ and, _Lilith_ , that was a stunningly attractive image. Not to mention the level of comfort it showed that Alec had here.

A look of amusement lightened Alec’s features. There was just the faintest curve to one corner of his mouth. “Behave.”

“ _Why_?” Magnus shot back instantly.

That had Alec chuckling, though his little blush didn’t go unnoticed, and it had Jace groaning. Clary just ignored them off, already off towards the guest room. She clearly had tunnel vision at the moment, which Magnus could understand. He’d be the same if his loved ones were hurt. Though, there would’ve been nothing that would’ve gotten him to leave the night before. But he had the benefit of magic to guarantee he either stayed at their bedside, or to take them home with him no matter what anyone else said.

“I didn’t come here to see this,” Jace said. The only thing that saved him from any kind of retaliation from Magnus was that he could hear the teasing behind those words. While Jace might not want to watch his brother flirting, it was clear he was at least a little happy about it, something that seemed to be quite the turnaround from his attitude yesterday.

Alec smoothed out his expression to better give Jace a flat, dry look. “You’re the one who interrupted our morning before we’d even left the bedroom. Maybe if you text next time, we’ll actually have a chance to be prepared for company.”

A wide grin lit up Magnus’ face. “Well said, my dear.” He punctuated his words by waving a hand and making a mug of coffee appear in Alec’s. To match Magnus’ mug, his said _Better than Legalos_ on it.

“Clary wanted to see her dad,” Jace said. He shrugged and gave Alec a look like that should just explain everything.

It warmed Magnus a little more to see how Alec cocked his head and just gave Jace a _look_. That was it, nothing more, yet it was enough to have Jace ducking his head a little sheepishly. Magnus was kind of impressed, to be honest. He wouldn’t have guessed that Alec could get that kind of response from his parabatai. Not after some of the stories that Magnus had heard. Yet, somehow it wasn’t that surprising that when Alec did push like this, it wasn’t for himself—a fact he made clear when he looked over to Magnus and back to Jace in a pointed way.

It only furthered his surprise when Jace huffed yet turned to Magnus and said: “Sorry for just showing up like this. We should’ve called first.”

“Thank you,” Magnus said, still a little too surprised to process the fact that a Shadowhunter other than Alec _apologized to him_.

Alec, however, looked pleased. His expression softened into something that clearly relaxed Jace, who smiled at him. Then that smile shifted into something else, becoming just a bit strained at the edges. It didn’t take long to find out why. “You should, um, probably get ready to go, Alec. Izzy’s holding off Maryse, but you know it won’t take long before she tries to hunt you down. She already said she had something to talk with you about.”

“How bad?” Alec asked, his expression once more closing off.

The grimace Jace gave was answer enough.

Alec drew in a deep breath and slowly pulled on the rest of his armor. When he opened his eyes again, he wasn’t just Alexander anymore, he was Alec Lightwood, Acting Head of the Institute. There were so many different masks that Alec wore. It left Magnus feeling a little humbled to realize just how many of those he was allowed to see behind. How far Alec had let him in.

He wasn’t surprised when Alec drained his mug—not looking the least bit bothered by the heat, something that Magnus logged away on his list of questions to ask Alec about, was it related to his dragon side?—and then set it on the coffee table before coming toward Magnus. There was no snap to warn about his magic; just a faint purple hue that ran over Alec from head to toe, changing him from what he’d been wearing into his typical Shadowhunter clothes. By the time he reached Magnus, he was fully dressed, all his weapons in place.

Magnus tipped his head up for the kiss that Alec dropped on his lips. It wasn’t short, just a few degrees shy of _filthy_ , and Magnus gave a happy little moan.

He ignored Jace’s “ _Dude_ ” and focused on Alec when his boyfriend pulled back to smile at him. “Are you going back to the Lair once you’re done with Luke and Clary?” Alec asked.

“I’ve got a few people there who can work together to maintain the wards. I was starting to get a little homesick,” Magnus said, smiling.

He was rewarded with that half-smile that he’d found so damn endearing from day one. “I’ll try and see if I can get away after patrol tonight. It’ll depend on what Mom wants from me. I might be late, though.”

“Just let yourself in. You know you’re always welcome.”

That got Magnus another kiss, even deeper than the last. Magnus was almost embarrassed by the soft whine he gave when Alec pulled back again. _Almost_. The only other person here to hear him was Jace, and if he didn’t like it, he could deal with it.

While Alec went to say something to his parabatai before leaving, Magnus turned and busied himself with snapping away Alec’s mug to the sink and then summoning two takeaway coffees. They appeared in Alec and Jace’s hands, startling Jace but drawing another of those smiles from Alec. “Thanks, Magnus.”

“Of course, darling.”

The look on Magnus’ face as he watched Alec leave must’ve been rather sappy, judging by the snort that Jace let out. When Magnus looked at him, the Shadowhunter flashed a cocky grin. “Man, you are _so_ gone on him.”

There was absolutely no shame on Magnus’ face as he nodded. “Yes. Yes I am.”

* * *

Life seemed to be conspiring against the young couple. Alec wasn’t able to get back to Magnus’ that night like he wanted; too much drama was going on at the Institute. Things that Magnus wasn’t quite sure of. Alec tried not to complain too much when he talked to him. It was an endearing quality of his. He’d try so hard not to complain about others, and then something silly would set him off and he could rant for hours about some things. Magnus was often amused by it.

But the next night, he sent a message saying that he’d be by, if Magnus wanted him there.

If.

_If._

That notion right there was one of the things that Magnus was going to make sure he disabused him of while he stayed. By the time Alec left in the morning, he wasn’t going to doubt his welcome in Magnus’ home. Not anymore. He’d know that he was always welcome in whatever home Magnus was in. They’d come too far in their relationship for him to think otherwise. Not even the recent revelations were going to change that.

Having time alone had allowed Magnus time to think. So much so that, when Alec showed up exhausted, Magnus barely managed to contain himself until they were seated on the balcony with their dinner before he was practically vibrating with the need to ask questions.

Alec took one look at him and snorted. One hand came up and lazily waved through the air in a silent permission.

That was all Magnus needed. Seated on the same couch as Alec, he turned his body to face his partner and tucked his legs up underneath himself. A box of orange chicken was balanced on one knee, chopsticks in his hand, yet Magnus barely paid them any attention. He wanted to launch into countless dragon-related questions. But first he had something more important to ask. “How did things go with your mother?”

The lines that appeared on Alec’s face warned Magnus even before the other man started to answer. “I’ve mostly managed to avoid her so far. Luckily, Jocelyn’s back, and she and Clary have been taking up enough of Mom’s time that I don’t really have to deal with her. Seeing as I’m sure she’s going to try and push the formalities to legally seize control of the Institute again, at least temporarily, I’m not in the mood to really let her catch me.” Alec let his lashes fall – a coy look that he would deny making to his deathbed, no doubt – and he let his lips quirk in a smile that was just a bit too tired around the edges for Magnus’ tastes. “I didn’t figure that was what you’d ask questions about.”

Okay, so family and Institute questions were off limits for now. That was a not-so-subtle redirect that Magnus knew better than to question. That was fine. He had _so many_ other questions. “Which one of your forms feels most natural to you?” Probably not the most polite of first questions, yet he had a reason behind it. “I want you to feel relaxed and comfortable while you’re here. However that may be.”

Alec smiled shyly and sweetly at him. It was entirely unfair just how adorable the man could look without even trying! “I, uh, it’s more… mood related? I’m not constantly wishing I was in dragon form, if that’s what you’re worried about. I mean, I do put up a glamour.” Here he lifted a hand and waved it at his eyes. He almost waved a bit of sweet and sour sauce in there, too, but stopped himself at the last minute. “But it’s not really bothersome to wear.”

“Does it change your eyesight when you wear it?”

“Yes.”

That made sense. It did the same for Magnus. His eyesight was better without his glamour over his eyes.

Thinking about his eyes led Magnus to another question, though. He pointed one of his chopsticks right at Alec. “Can you partially transform?”

In answer, Alec lifted up his free hand and wiggled his fingers. It was like the air around his fingertips shimmered a little. Then the nails were growing, shifting, until his fingers were tipped in claws. “I can pull out my wings, too, if I want, but it’s not comfortable. It changes the muscle structure of my chest around, and it affects my breathing. Human bodies aren’t meant to hold that kind of muscle shape.”

“I hadn’t even thought of that.” Though it was definitely logical. It also crossed off a few of Magnus’ questions. Such as – could he fly in human form? If having them there was uncomfortable, flying was no doubt painful. “Can you breathe fire as a human?”

One corner of Alec’s mouth quirked up. He drew his hand down, claws vanishing once more, and he picked up another piece of chicken from his takeout box. “Yes. That doesn’t hurt me in this form. I’m pretty much immune to fire. Or most forms of heat.” Pausing, he chuckled a little awkwardly, just a bit self-consciousness showing through. “Jace and Izzy have to help remind me when something’s hot for humans so I don’t give myself away.”

Magnus tucked that fact away. He hadn’t ever seen Alec make that kind of mistake, but it made sense it’d be something hard for him to keep track of. Magnus had a feeling there were quite a few of those types of things that Alec had to try and remember, and he vowed to help him as much as he could. At least when they were in public.

His thoughts continued to travel along those lines. “Do you have any other abilities that transfer from form to form?”

“My runes don’t transfer over,” Alec said. A look of concentration appeared on his face as he clearly thought about Magnus’ question while he stirred his food around, absently eating another piece. “My magic stays with me no matter what form I’m in, but I’ve found it comes easier and with less thought when I’m a dragon. When I’m like this, it’s like… like it has to fight against the angelic power in me sometimes to do what I want it to.”

 _Fascinating_. That would imply that the two parts of Alec really were _two parts_. Though, where would his angelic energy go when he switched to dragon form? It was still a part of him. Wouldn’t that mean he’d have the same feeling of it when he was a dragon as he did when he was human?

Alec continued on, oblivious to Magnus’ train of thoughts. “For the most part, my change is pretty much…cosmetic? My magic is stronger as a dragon, and so are my instincts and my senses, but they don’t just vanish when I’m human. I mean, all those things that are there in one form are there in the other, except for my runes. Or, you know, opposable thumbs.”

That startled a snicker out of Magnus. He shot Alec an amused look, enjoying the smile that Alec wore. One that was just a bit proud, like making Magnus laugh was one of the most important things to him. The fact that it very well might be only served to warm Magnus’ heart all the more.

Seeing that look, the casual way that Alec was relaxing into talking to him about all of this, it was so exhilarating. In some ways Magnus had felt like Alec was hiding from him before this. He’d mostly attributed it to the fact that the young Shadowhunter was just that—a young, inexperienced Shadowhunter. Now he could see that Alec _had_ been hiding. He wasn’t anymore.

This was the real Alec. The one that so very few got the privilege to see.

Realizing that had Magnus moving forward before he could think about it. He pressed a warm, hard kiss against Alec’s lips. He was pleased when Alec kissed him back automatically.

When they pulled back the both of them were smiling. The secret that had had the potential to break them had only served to draw them even closer together. Magnus looked at Alec and he knew, even if the words hadn’t been said, that this being in front of him was it for him. Centuries of waiting, of loving and losing over and over again, and Magnus had finally found the other half of his heart in a gorgeous little nephilim dragon who looked up at him like Magnus was responsible for hanging all the stars in the sky.

What else could Magnus do but kiss him all over again?


End file.
